Beatles: Hey Jude Meaning

Song Released: 1968

Hey Jude Lyrics

Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey, Jude, don't be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your...

1. anonymous

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   Jan 23rd 2007 !⃝

   I don't know why people would think a song like this would be about drugs. The Beatles were not even into heroin. I could see how people that have limited thought could see that this song was about that because of some of the words including "let her (reffering to drugs) under your skin." But, how would drugs associate with "remember, to let her into your heart."
   This song was written to Lennons son Julian during the devorce. It was originally called "hey jules" and changed to "hey jude"(influenced by the character 'Jud' from the musical Oklahoma because McCartney loves show tunes.)
2. anonymous

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   Jan 7th 2007 !⃝

   The song where wrote to cynthia. The day Paul got the news about the divorce, he visited cynthia. on the way in his car he got the melody, and fixed the lyrics to cynthia. but later he changed the story so it was about a jude

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
3. anonymous

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   Dec 4th 2006 !⃝

   "I think the song is about heroin.
   
   'Hey Jude, don't be afraid.
   You were made to go out and get her.
   The minute you let her under your skin,
   Then you begin to make it better.'
   
   I also think this because the first three letters of the word heroin are 'HER'."
   
   
   To the user who wrote this, this is a very interesting observation. Although Paul McCartney, did in fact write the song in sympathy to Julian Lennon, whose parents were going through a divorce, the heroin observation is not only interesting but almost too coincidential. A bit odd that, if you were to replace the word 'her' with 'heroin', the meaning would not change too much.
4. anonymous

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   Oct 28th 2006 !⃝

   As many others have said, it was written by Paul in support of Julian Lennon during his parents marriage break up.I also agree with jenna220..It's sad that John could write stuff like "Beautiful Boy"(about Sean) but it needed Paul to write something in tribute to Julian!
5. anonymous

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   Oct 14th 2006 !⃝

   I agree with the Julian interpretation, but the song has dual meanings. It doesn't make sense to let her under your skin... Doesn't that mean to let someone's behavior bother you? I think its a song about heroin disguised as a song for Julian. And why would you write an 8 year old such a song when he's sad? Im sure he really felt a lot better afterwards...
6. capitalist

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   Oct 11th 2006 !⃝

   Well it's been a few months but I saw some interest (one poster's) in my 2 cents so here is some elaboration on my thought process. I too read the quotation a recent poster cited to, that when Paul played the song for John he said, "it's me, it's me!" and Paul said, "no, it's me." I do recognize the authors' own so-called interpretation but nevertheless as an English major I was trained to look beyond what the author says something is about even if he or she really believes it because once the artwork is released it is released for general consumption ("caviar to the general"), rejection, interpretation, mis-interpretation, etc. Nobokov comes to mind....
   
   But I still think my theory holds, to wit, that notwithstanding Paul's alleged protestation, the song was written by Paul to john: we are the Beatles, for christ's sake! What is the matter w/you?!!! Be happy!!! You have a lot to be happy about!!!"
   
   john (paraphrasing of course): "grumble, grumble, grumble. Paul just likes to make songs that people want to hear, sing along to, are enormously profitable, etc. Way too commercial; way too uncool."
   
   but John did not recognize his own talent, which according to at least one author (albert goldman: the lives of John lennon (c. 1988 ny, an unauthorized biography), was based in large measure on an uncanny ability to plagiarize other songwriters' popular songs, but changing them enough to evade provable detection. John reportedly admonished george about this in the "my sweet lord" mis-hap.
   
   Hence, "take a sad song and make it better." that is what Paul is telling John to do - like he used to do.
   
   Don't forget that there can be intentional or unintentional ambiguity in any song or other work of art. Hell, that's what the nytimes will tell you is a sine qua non of acceptable "art." (they are idiots, I know).
   
   "Her" is the "muse," i.E., john's creative talent. "under your skin" means let "it" (all the things in a normal person's life that trouble us) bother you -- do not run away from the "pain" this flesh is heir to (a little shakespeare there; cf. The bible). Rather, "take arms against a sea of troubles and by opposing, end them." (same play by shakespeare -- can you tell which one?)
   
   There is a cosmic choice to make by us all, but unfortunately making that choice is especially difficult for genii ("geniuses" for those of you in rio linda) who were and are blessed and cursed at the same time by their special gifts.
   
   I do not claim to be one of them and so I will again retire into my chamber, just below a bust of Pallas, just above my chamber door, with the lamplight gloating o'er. "and my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor shall be lifted nevermore."
   
   P.S. Yes, Shakespeare and Edgar Allen Poe are both uniquely comparable to the artistic creations of the band formerly known as the Beatles.
   
   Adieu. A cap.
7. brokenarrow1976

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   Oct 10th 2006 !⃝

   This song is obviously about heroin. As revealed in John Lennon's tell all autobiography "my life as John Lennon: the John Lennon story" and the subsequent made-for-tv lifetime network movie of the same title reveal, this song was written by Paul mccartney while in the depths of a two year long heroin binge. The name jude is derived from the scientific name for heroin heroinicus judeamoniate. At the time the song was written Paul was wasting away and weighed barely 95 lbs. By his own admission he was shooting scag close to ten times a day. After the song came to him in a dream, in which he envisioned shooting up with the dahli lama in a boat on a river with tangerine trees and marmalde skies (this same dream inspired lucy in the sky with diamonds). After his dream Paul spent most of the next five years recovering in a U.S navy hospital on board and aircraft carrier in the agean sea, foaming at the mouth and ranting delusionally. When his recovery was complete the Beatles loaded up their sitars and clavinovas and headed off to abbey road, and the rest they say is history.

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
8. anonymous

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   Sep 28th 2006 !⃝

   "let out and let in"?: a syringe . "...Its a fool who plays it cool by making his world a litle colder" be careful not to overdose. St. Jude is the patron saint of hopeless causes. Jude is a junkie who sees life as hopeless and turns to heroin. The screaming refrains at the end implies a delirious drug crazed high. If "her " is yoko ono why is julian lennon "made to go out and get her?"
   p.M. Is just trying to do "damage control" so this song is not condemned by various voices as a "drug song".

   This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
9. anonymous

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   Sep 28th 2006 !⃝

   "Well, when Paul first sang 'hey jude' to me-or played me the little tape he'd made of it-i took it very personally. 'ah, it's me!' I said. 'it's me.' he says, 'No, it's me.' I said, 'check, we're going through the same bit,' so we all are. Whoever is going through that bit with us is going through it, that's the groove." the ballad of John and yoko, p. 50)
   
   just a thought: you people who think it is about heroin--you are dumb. Your theory is based on a supposed (I would say coincidental) abbreviation.
   
   There is no 'factual' answer that I have come across, however, the "hey jules" is the most sensible and believable of the scenarios.
   
   I would say the large majority of songs of this nature (consolation/love songs) are not written for someone so much as about someone. The inspiration comes from someone you known to the artist, and the song is really what the artist has to say on the subject.
   
   -an opinion in san diego
10. kayyyla

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    Aug 26th 2006 !⃝

    Sooo many of those were the exact same thing except worded differently, I liked the one with the whole talent lyrics muse thing that was interesting must have taken some thought although I agree with the whole original Jules story... But why go into that everyone else has a million times over in every way possible
    cheers.
11. capitalist

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    Aug 14th 2006 !⃝

    I respectfully dissent w/all of the above. This song is Paul to lennon: hey, john, don't make it [your songs] bad/take a sad song and make it better [plagiarize something, like you said you did]/remember to let her [your muse"] into your heart/then you can start to make it [your life; your attitude] better."
    
    I could continue but it seems too obvious to belabor it. But I will if anyone shows any interest. So hey.

    This interpretation has been marked as poor. view anyway
12. anonymous

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    Aug 5th 2006 !⃝

    I saw an interview with Paul and he said he wrote it for Julian Lennon. He said he was playing the song for John while he was working on it and when he got to the line "the movement you need is on your shoulder," he told John "I'm going to change that line, it doesn't make any sense, it's just words that go with the melody." John replied "no, that's a great line leave it in there" which goes back to the point that John loved lyrics that made no sense but sounded great in a song. It also shows that even in the tough times they still respected each others talents.
    
    Stop with the drug refrences. There isn't any!
13. anonymous

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    Jul 3rd 2006 !⃝

    Ok, as we've covered it was written for Julian by Paul on his way to visit Julian and Cynthia after the divorce. It was originaly titled Hey Jules, but was changed. After the divorce, John tried to cut out Cynthia, and therefore Julian out of his life and the life of the Beatles (prolly to help with the pain). He told the beatles not to see her, but Paul did, which later caused a bit of a fight. The her is both a reference to Yoko, for Julian to try and embrace her, and to Cynthia for Julian not to blame her for the divorce, as he did, like most children of such a young age.
14. ringo

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    Jun 14th 2006 !⃝

    The song was written for Jude Law.
15. anonymous

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    May 27th 2006 !⃝

    Although the first person is right, there is more. The song was supposed to be "Hey Jules", which more applies to Lennon's son, Julian. Paul McCartney, however, just didn't think it sounded right. For this reason, McCartney changed it to Jude.

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